Key retainer



Feb. 17, 1953 K. F. SONNTAG 2,628,492

KEY RETAINER Filed June 21, 1950 INVENTOR Karl F Sonntclg A TORNEYPatented Feb. 17, 1953 KEY RETAINER Karl Frederick Sonntag, Watertown,Conn., as-

signor to Scovill Manufacturing Company, Waterbury, Conn., a corporationof Connecticut Application June 21, 1950, Serial No. 169,440

3 Claims.

My invention relates to key retainers of the type which are secured in akey case, usually of leather, and whose purpose is removably to secureseveral key loops which in turn hold the keys. According to generalpractice each of these loops has a shank with an enlarged head at theend and a loop of a desired form for holding the key.

My improved retainer comprises a base plate having one end bent intohollow tubular form, which tubular portion is provided with cross slotsconnecting with enlarged holes so that a head of a key loop may enterinto one of such holes and the key loop shank may slide in the slot.

My invention is particularly concerned with the device for holding thekey loops in the slot. It has heretofore been proposed to use arotatable tubular guard member working either inside or outside of astationary tubular member, both having similar slots and enlarged holes,and where the enlarged holes in the guard member in one position willregister with the enlarged holes in the stationary member and allow theheads of the key loops to be inserted or removed therethrough. Thisresults in somewhat bulky and expensive construction, and it is one ofmy objects to employ the simplest kind of a guard bar instead of atubular guard member with registering slots. This guard bar takes upless space inside the tubular stationary memher and is cheaper andlighter in weight. Since the guard bar does not have registering slots,means are provided to prevent endwise movement while at the same timepermitting limited rotary movement upon journal members at the ends ofthe guard bar.

For the sake of compactness and strength I prefer to make the guard barof thinner stock and of hardened steel. Also by having a small handlemember which operates the guard bar positioned flat against the baseplate I am able to assemble the guard bar into the tubular part endwise,handle end first, by initially leaving the outer tubular member partlyopen and finally closing it after assembly. i

A further object of my invention is to pro .vide a simple device forcontrolling the action of the bar to prevent accidental movement. Thisis accomplished preferably by forming a raised portion on the guard barnormally located in one of the enlarged openings and working against theinner wall of the tubular member during the rotation of the guard bar.

Other advantages will be apparent from the following detaileddescription when read in connection with the accompanying drawings,wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front plan view of a key retainer plate showing a single keyloop associated therewith.

Fig. 2 is a top edge view of the same.

Fig. 3 is an end view taken from the right side as seen in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1showing the guard bar in closed position for holding the key loops inplace.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing the guard bar rotated to openposition to permit the removal of the key loops.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the guard bar,

per se.

Fig. '7 is a front elevation of the key case in open position showingthe holderplate attached thereto, and

Fig. 8 is an end view similar to Fig. 3 showing the initial position ofthe tubular part to allow for the assembly of the guard bar.

Referring now to the drawing in which like reference numerals denotelike parts in the several views, the numeral I0 refers to a cover orleather case to which is secured the flat base plate H of a key retainerdevice l2 adjacent one edge of said cover as by tubular rivets l3passing through suitable openings 14 in thebase part II. One end of thebase plate H is bent to form a rolled barrel section or tubular part i5.This tubular part I5 is provided with a series of circumferential narrowslots 16 terminating at one end in enlarged openings ll positionedadjacent the base plate II.

The keys are attached to the retainer l2 by means of the usual form ofkey loops l8 that have shanks is capable of having free movement in theslots IS. The shanks 19 are formed with enlarged heads 20 on one end ofa size permitting passage through the enlarged openlugs 11 but notthrough the slots l6.

In order to retain the key loops IB attached to the tubular part 15provision is made of a retainer or guard bar 2| positioned within thetubular part I5. The bar 2| is preferably a longitudinal uninterruptedmember arcuate in cross section and covers less than half of the innerwall of the tubular member, thus allowing maximum space for the key loopheads in the tubular part IS. The bar is formed at its opposite endswith opposed strap-like lugs shaped into cylindrical journal portions 22and 23, each having a split 24 therein. The journals 22 and 23 arerotatably fitted into the end barrel sections 25 and 26 of the tubularpart I 5. By reason of the splits 24, the journals 22 and 23 will have aslight resilient frictional engagement within the barrel sections 25 and26 so as to hold the parts against any relative looseness.

At the left end of the retainer bar 2|, as viewed in Fig. 1, a lateralextension 2'! is provided that consist of flat section 28 that extendsinto an upwardly oifset terminal end 29, the extension 27 serving as ahandle for operating the retainer bar 2|. In the closed position of thebar 2| the flat section of this handle extension 2'1 lies flat againstthe base plate.

The inner edge of the extension 27 operates within a recess 30 providedin the adjacent edge of the barrel section 25. The opposite end of thebar 2| is formed with a radial lug 3| that engages against the outeredge of the adjacent barrel 26 and this lug 3| in conjunction with thehandle extension 27 serves to prevent endwise movement of the retainerbar 2| within the tubular part i5.

The lateral handle extension 21 operates between two stop positions. Inone position the fiat section 28 of the extension 2'? contacts the uppersurface of thebase plate H, as seen in Fig. 3, in which position the bar2| is designed to completely close off enlarged openings ll so as toprevent the key loop heads 20 from slipping therethrough. To remove thekey loops H! from the late |2 the handle extension 27 is rotated about90 or to a position where the flat section 28 of said extension 21 abutsagainst a stop shoulder 32 positioned at one end of the recess 30. Inthis position the retainer bar 2| will be free of the enlarged openingsIT to permit the removal and assembly of the key loops I8 therethrough.

In order to assure that the retainer bar 2| will be held in either openor closed position, the mid portion of said bar 2| is formed with anoutwardly projecting nub33 which is so located that when the bar 2| isin closed position the nub 33 will be disposed in one of the enlargedopenings In the act of rotating the bar 2| to open position, the nub 33will move out of and cam over the edge of its respective opening I? andride upon the base plate II, at the same time springing the adjacentpart of the bar 2| relative to the base plate so as to provide for anincreased frictional factor to maintain the bar in open position.

Another important point in the construction of my invention is that thedesign of the retainer bar 2| is such that it can be made of carbonsteel and tempered to provide a hard material not sub-- ject to wear,and also assure maximum strength and compactness.

It is to be understood that the retainer bar 2| is in its finished formas shown in Fig. 6 before it is assembled into the barrel part 55 of theholder device and thus requiring no subsequent assembly formingoperation in said bar 2|. In order to assemble the bar 2| into thebarrel part I5, said latter part is initially rolled to a position, asshown in Fig. 3, where its end 34 is spaced from the upper surface ofthe plate H a distance slightly greater than the thickness of materialof which the bar 2| is made. The bar 2| can thus be axially telescopedinto the barrel part |5 with the handle extension 21 sliding in thespace between the barrel 34 and plate until the lug 3| abuts the end ofthe barrel section 26 as a stop, after which thetubular part can befurther rolled to its finished state as seen in Fig. 4.

While I have herein described and upon the drawing shown oneillustrative embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood thatthe invention is not limited thereto but may comprehend otherconstructions and arrangements without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

I claim:

1. A key retainer adapted to be secured to the body of a key case forremovably securing a plurality of key loops, each loop having a shankwith an enlarged head at one end, said retainer comprising a base platehaving one end bent into hollow tubular form, said tubular portion beingprovided with cross slots terminating in enlarged holes so the head of akey loop may enter only through one of such holes and the key loop shankmay slide in the slot, a guard bar curved to fit against the insidesurface of said tubular portion covering less than half the inner wallthereof and having journal portions at opposite ends curved to fitaround substantially more than half the inside diameter of said tubularportion so that said guard bar may be turned along the inner surfaces ofsaid tubular portion from one limiting position Where it just blocks theentrance holes in the tubular portion to another position uncoveringsaid holes, a lug at one end and an operating handle at the other end ofthe guard bar bearing against opposite ends of said tubular portion toprevent endwise movement of the bar. and means for limiting the rotativemovement of the bar between the aforesaid positions.

2. A key retainer as defined in claim 1 wherein a portion of said handlelies against the surface of the unbent portion of said base plate in oneof the limiting positions of said handle as a stop.

3. A key retainer as defined in claim 1, in which said guard bar isprovided with a raised portion registering with one of the entranceholes in the closed position of the bar and ofiering resistance to themovement of the bar toward open position.

KARL FREDERICK SONNTAG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,051,432 Zahn Aug. .18, 19362,197,217 Geller Apr. 16, 1940 2,351,205 Harvey June 13, 1944 2,421,492Geller June 3, 1947

